Leeds Olympian Qais Ashfaq signs up with Matchroom Boxing

Yorkshire Olympian Qais Ashfaq has signed with Matchroom Boxing in a bid to kickstart his professional career.

The 24-year-old from Leeds was knocked out in the first round at the Rio Olympics but has a strong amateur pedigree otherwise, having won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games among other notable successes.

Qais Ashfaq.

He will fight at super-bantamweight and is targeting a fight in his home city as well as a place on the undercard of a future Amir Khan bout.

“I’m out to prove a point and I want to be part of the big shows coming up in the next few months. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and I want to be as busy as possible,” said Ashfaq.

“It’s been stop start and I’ve lost a year of my pro career so I feel that I have something to prove, not just to the public but to myself.

“That’s why being with Matchroom is great because there’s so many fight nights coming up all over Britain and I think I can progress quickly and pick up fans everywhere. I’m a Leeds boy though so of course I would love to box in my city.”